Inflatable safety device

ABSTRACT

An inflatable bag for protecting the occupant of a car from injury as a result of a collision. The bag is securely connected to the occupant&#39;&#39;s seat belt. The bag normally is deflated and is releasably confined so that upon inflation the bag is quickly released and, by reason of its being mounted on the seat belt, assumes a position in front of the occupant using the seat belt.

United States Patent Lilly 1 51 Dec. 19, 1972 1541 INFLATABLE SAFETY DEVICE 3,243,822 4/1966 Lipkin 280/150 x [72] Inventor: Wallace Lilly 202 College Ave 5112131 211333 11Z1Zi1;;;;;f:1i::: 180/150 AB Beckley, W. Va. [22] Filed: May 28, 1970 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1 pp No; 41,282 609,624 9/1960 ltaly 280/150 AB Primary Examiner-Kenneth H. Betts [52] US. Cl ..280/l50 AB, 9/316 Attorney-Dodge & Ostmann [51] ..'.....B60r 21/08 [58] Field of Search ..280/150; 9/316 ABSTRACT An inflatable bag-for protecting the occupant of a car [56] References cum from injury as a result of a collision. The bag is secure- UNITED STATES PATENTS ly connected to the occupants seat belt. The bag normally 1s deflated and 1s releasably confined so that 3,430,979 3/1969 Terry et al .....280/150 upon inflation the bag is quickly released and, by 2,993,217 7/1961 reason of its being mounted on the seat belt, assumes 3,070,818 1/1963 Fairchild .l9/316 a position in from f the occupant using the Seat belt 3,552,770 1/1971 Berryman ..280/l'50 2,859,048 11/1958 Munn ..280/150 2 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures TRIGGER MEAN S I. I. I. I. .1

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. INVENTOR WALLACE B. LILLY ATTORNEYS INFLATABLE SAFETY DEVICE BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is known to use inflatable bags as a means to protect vehicle occupants from injury. Such bags are stored in receptacles in the instrument panel, the hub of the steering wheel, in overhead compartments or in door compartments. Thus, they are stored in fixed locations chosen for their relationship to the occupants likely position.

According to applicants invention, the deflated bag is releasably confined and the bags base is connected to the center of the seat belt worn by the occupant. Thus, when the bag is inflated, it will be positioned directly in front of the occupant and between him and any part of the car against which he might be thrown.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING- The preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawing in which: I

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal section of the stored bag.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the device shown in FIG. 1 in which the cover and the bag have been removed.

FIG. 3 is a schematic showing of the inflated bag and illustrating the device in use to protect the driver of the vehicle.

FIG. 4 is a side view of a modified form of the device.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Refer first to FIG. 1. The occupants seat belt is shown at 11.- An open-topped, boxlike container 12 is mounted so as to be adjustable longitudinally of the belt. This adjustable mounting comprises loops 20 connected to opposite ends of the container 12, but may take any desired form. Adjacent the bottom of the container is a cylinder chamber 13 adapted to receive a C cartridge and detonatorl0 which can be fired by an electrical signal. The outer end of the chamber 13 is closed by a gas-tight end piece 14.

The chamber 13 is connected by a conduit 15 to a flanged fitting 16. A bag 17 is mounted in the container 12 and has its mouth 18 securely fastened to the fitting 16 in any suitable manner. A clamping ring 19 is shown. The bag 17 includes a stiffened portion 21 which serves as a closure panel for container 12. This stiffened portion could, of course, be replaced by a panel of metal or plastic which might be separate from the bag or bonded thereto. The separate panel is the least desirable form, since is would be released in the cars interior when bag 17 is inflated and might itself injure an occupant. The separate panel could, however, be connected by a tether or a hinge to the container 12.

The panel 21 is held in place impositively. It may be made of a resilient material which can bow outward when the bag is inflated. Such bowing would draw the peripheral edges of the plate inward to release them from the undercut 22. The undercuts 22 could be formed on flexible fingers which would be pushed back to release a rigid plate when the bag 17 is being inflated. The electrically fired detonator can be fired in any convenient way by a trigger means. The trigger means may comprise a simple impact actuated switch which is closed to fire the detonator and release liquid CO from the cartridge 10, thereby causing inflation of the bag. The trigger means and the combined CO capsule and detonator are not my invention and may take any conventional form. A manually actuated gas valve could be used, but must be designed to guard against being accidentally opened.

As shown in FIG. 4 the container 12 may be incorporated in or made an integral part of the buckle 23 of the seat belt. The seat belt buckle is commonly positioned centrally in front of the occupant when the belt is fastened. However, small or large occupants will find that this central positioning may require that the belt anchoring means be designed so that the buckle position can be changed as needed.

OPERATION The operation of the device is probably clear from the described structure, but in the interest of complete disclosure it will be described. Refer to FIG. 3. The portion of the passenger compartment occupied by the driver is shown. The drivers seat belt is fastened and container 12 has been adjusted longitudinally along belt 11 to the desired position centrally in front of the driver. In the event of an accident, an impact severe enough to actuate the trigger means will be produced and cause immediate inflation of the bag. The panel 21 is forced from its retained position by the initial pressure build-up and the bag expands to form a gas cushion between the driver and the steering wheel, instrument panel and windshield. This cushion will soften the impact between car and driver, thus preventing injury to the driver or reducing the severity of his injuries.

The bag need not be completely encased, though such encasement is preferred to protect the bag from wear and accidental damage. The bag may, however, be held in collapsed condition by a tie or ties which are released when the bag is inflated. The bag may be encased in a repturable container for storage. A variety of ways to store the inflatable bag on the center of the belt will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art. The basic characteristic of importance in my invention is that the bag is stored on the occupants seat belt and is positioned centrally in front of him.

The bag may be made of a fabric that is strong, stable, light and compressible for storage in a small space.

The weave will determine the degree ofporosity of the bag.

This pre-calculated porosity is vital in the function of the whole system. The bag'must be rapidly inflated and then deflated at a rate that will absorb the forward motion of the occupant caused by momentum. This controlled deflation also prevents any rebound or bounce" tendency on the part-of the occupant. The bag can' be formed, shaped and sized by appropriate tailoring of the material.

I claim:

1.In combination a. a seat belt for a vehicle;

b. an inflatable bag of burst resistant, flexible sheet material;

c. means operable to inflate the bag with gas under pressure;

d. a container to which the base of the bag is secured and releasably confining said bag in collapsed condition prior to its inflation and permitting automatic release of said bag during its inflation, said l060ll 0038 container being adjustably secured to the belt between its ends;

e. an opening in an exposed portion of the container walls and through which the expanding bag is passed during its inflation; i

a panel impositively confined in said opening and expelled therefrom during inflation of the bag; and

g. buckle means in said seat belt, the container being an integral part of the buckle.

2. In combination a; a seat belt for a vehicle; b. an inflatable bag of burst-resistant, flexible sheet material;

c. means operable to inflate the bag with gas under pressure;

d. means to which the base of the bag is secured and releasably confining said bag in its collapsed condition prior to its inflation, said confining means including a container in which the bag is mounted,

said container being adjustably secured to the belt between its ends and having A. an opening in an exposed portion of the conl060ll 0039 

1. In combination a. a seat belt for a vehicle; b. an inflatable bag of burst resistant, flexible sheet material; c. means operable to inflate the bag with gas under pressure; d. a container to which the base of the bag is secured and releasably confining said bag in collapsed condition prior to its inflation and permitting automatic release of said bag during its inflation, said container being adjustably secured to the belt between its ends; e. an opening in an exposed portion of the container walls and through which the expanding bag is passed during its inflation; f. a panel impositively confined in said opening and expelled therefrom during inflation of the bag; and g. buckle means in said seat belt, the container being an integral part of the buckle.
 2. In combination a. a seat belt for a vehicle; b. an inflatable bag of burst-resistant, flexible sheet material; c. means operable to inflate the bag with gas under pressure; d. means to which the base of the bag is secured and releasably confining said bag in its collapsed condition prior tO its inflation, said confining means including a container in which the bag is mounted, said container being adjustably secured to the belt between its ends and having A. an opening in an exposed portion of the container wall; B. a panel impositivily confined in said opening and expelled therefrom during inflation of the bag; C. said panel comprising a stiffened portion of the bag. 